HP Split x2 13-m210eg Convertible Review

Between worlds. The new HP Split x2 does not require a choice between a tablet and a notebook since the convertible combines both types of devices. Besides an IPS display, the convertible attracts attention with very good battery runtimes as well as decent input devices.

Convertibles like the HP Split x2 try to combine the advantages of a tablet and a notebook. The results are usually mixed; the devices often suffer from bad keyboards or short battery runtimes. HP now wants to score with a convertible that uses two hard drives as well as two batteries, so that both the tablet and the keyboard dock have their own set. Our review shows if the convertible can convince us.

Case

The plastic case of the Split x2 is mainly black, only the back of the display cover has a silver color. HP calls those two colors "Jack Black" and "Modern Silver". Except for the display, all surfaces have matte finishes. The design of the convertible is better than the comparable Satellite W30t since it has, unlike the Satellite, a more subtle hinge. Round shapes dominate the appearance of the Split x2: The corners are rounded and the tablet has tapered edges. Neither the keyboard dock nor the tablet has a maintenance cover.

Build quality and stability of the device do not give any cause for criticism. The keyboard dock is solid and only shows some flexing next to the keyboard under pressure. However, many notebooks have the same issue. You can slightly twist the dock, but it is no reason for concern. You can hardly twist the tablet; only the back can be depressed slightly under pressure. The maximum opening angle is around 120 degrees. You should not use the convertible on your lap or close to the edge of a table at this opening angle. The tablet segment weighs around one kilogram (2.2 lb), so it can tip over.

The HP Split x2 13-m210eg.

Slightly protruding hinge when the device is closed.

The hinge acts as a stand when the notebook is open.

Connectivity

Unlike the Satellite and the Transformer Book, the tablet of the Split x2, does not have many ports, you only get a combined stereo jack, a connector for the power adaptor and a microSD slot. At least a micro-USB port would have been nice to improve the handling of the tablet without the keyboard dock. The port variety of the keyboard dock is similar to many notebooks, but HP could have integrated some more ports. A third USB port or a mini-DisplayPort would have been nice since the dock has quite a lot of room on the inside.

Left side: USB 2.0, combined stereo jack, card reader; the volume rocker is at the back of the tablet

Right side: USB 3.0, HDMI, AC power; the power button is at the back of the tablet

Besides the docking port, the bottom of the tablet also accommodates a card reader (microSD), a combined stereo jack as well as the connector for the power adaptor.

Communication

HP equipped the Split x2 with a WLAN module from the company Ralink. It supports the WLAN standards 802.11 b/g/n. We had no issues with the wireless signal, and had a stable connection with a distance of 15 meters (~49 ft) from the router. The Split x2 supports Bluetooth 4.0 as well. Like the Satellite, the tablet segment of the HP convertible has only one webcam. A camera at the rear, which is available in the Transformer Book, has been dispensed with. The camera of the HP takes blurry pictures with a resolution of up to 1920x1080 pixels.

Accessories

Besides a quick-start poster, the box only contains warranty information.

Operating System

The Split x2 comes with a preinstalled version of Windows 8.1 (64-bit), but there is no Windows DVD. Such a DVD can be created with the provided HP Recovery Manager and an external burner.

Maintenance

Neither the keyboard dock, nor the tablet has a maintenance cover. Still, it is possible to access the hardware. You can remove the bottom half of the dock with a sharp object after you have removed all the screws (there are also screws behind the rear rubber feet). But you should be careful, there are additional plastic clips that can easily break. After that you can access the battery and the hard drive. The latter could easily be replaced by a drive with a higher storage capacity. Do not forget that the recovery partition of the Split x2 is stored on this drive. You can use all 2.5-inch hard drives with a height of 7 millimeters (~0.27 inches).

Before you can remove the back of the tablet, you have to loosen two screws at the bottom that are covered by rubber feet. The back of the tablet is secured by additional plastic clips as well. We did not manage to loosen all clips, so we gave up, to avoid damaging the review sample. The cover provides access to the memory, the Solid State Drive, the WLAN module, the BIOS battery, the battery and the fan. The device only has one memory slot that is occupied by a 4 GB module. Replacing the SSD is possible, HP uses an mSATA drive.

You should have a look at the corresponding hardware manual from HP before you try to open the case of the Split x2. It includes detailed information about dismantling.

Warranty

The HP Split x2 comes with a two-year warranty – same as the Satellite and the Transformer Book. The warranty period of the convertible can be extended, a three-year Collect & Return warranty, for instance, is available for around 120 Euros (~$155).

Input Devices

Keyboard

The Split x2 is equipped with a non-illuminated chiclet keyboard. The flat and slightly roughened keys have an average travel and a well-defined pressure point. The resistance is decent as well. We can determine some flexing during typing, but it is not annoying. All in all, HP integrates a decent and convenient keyboard, which can also be used for longer typing sessions.

Touchpad

The mouse replacement is a ClickPad (touchpad without dedicated mouse buttons) with multi-touch support. The dimensions are 9.5 x 6.2 cm (3.7 x 2.44 inches), so there is sufficient room for multi-touch gestures. The smooth surface provides good gliding capabilities. The multi-touch gestures can be configured in a dedicated menu for the pad. The pad itself has a short travel and a clear pressure point.

Touchscreen

You can obviously control the convertible via touchscreen as well. The screen quickly executes inputs and did not create any issues during our review.

The keyboard is not illuminated.

ClickPad with multi-touch support

Display

The glossy 13.3-inch display of the Split has a native resolution of 1366x768 pixels. It is not the brightest panel with 210.6 cd/m², but the Satellite (240.8 cd/m²; HD) and the Transformer Book (220.3 cd/m²; Full HD) are only slightly better.

We can measure good values for the contrast ratio (864:1) and the black value (0.25 cd/m²), which are on the same level as the screen of the Transformer Book (848:1, 0.27 cd/m²). The Satellite (641:1, 0.39 cd/m²) cannot quite keep up, but the results are not bad, either.

The colors are pretty good without a calibration with an average DeltaE-2000 deviation of 4.54, which is pretty close to the target area (DeltaE smaller 3). We cannot see a blue cast, either. We could not calibrate the display because the corresponding software kept crashing.

CalMAN - ColorChecker

CalMAN - Grayscale

CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps

Thanks to the IPS panel, the Split x2 has an excellent viewing angle stability. You can see the display content from every position. Using the device outdoors is generally possible, but the very glossy surface can be an issue in some conditions.

Viewing angles HP Split x2 13

The HP Split x2 13 outdoors

Performance

The HP Split x2 13-m210eg represents a compromise between a tablet and a notebook. It is powerful enough for common office and web applications, and you get decent input devices. Our review sample retails for around 700 Euros (~$902); other configurations are not available.

System information HP Split x2 13-m210eg

Processor

HP utilizes the performance of an Intel processor for the Split x2. Our review sample uses a Core i5-4210Y processor. The letter Y in the designation indicates a very frugal chip, Intel specifies the TDP with 11.5 Watts. The dual-core processor (Haswell) can execute four threads simultaneously and runs with a nominal clock of 1.5 GHz, which can be raised up to 1.6 GHz (both cores) and 1.9 GHz (one core), respectively, via Turbo Boost. We could utilize the full performance of the processor on mains and battery power. The CPU tests of the Cinebench benchmark were always executed with the highest possible clock.

System Performance

The system runs smoothly without any hiccups. This, however, is, not surprising when you consider the Core i5 processor and the Solid State Drive. It also means Windows started quickly. The PCMark results are very good. They are lower compared to devices with Core processors of the U-class (e.g. Core i5-4200U), since those chips run with much higher clocks. However, this behavior does not apply to the Transformer Book, which uses the above-mentioned CPU, in PCMark 8 Home. We assume that the device could not use the whole Turbo potential during the test.

Storage Devices

The Split x2 has two hard drives: The 64-GB Solid State Drive (mSATA) from Micron works as a system partition inside the tablet element of the convertible. 30 GB can be used for your own data. The SSD is pretty fast in general, but it cannot keep up with high-end drives. As well as the SSD, the manufacturer also included a conventional hard drive. The 500 GB Toshiba hard drive is inside the keyboard dock and can be used for all your files. A small part (around 12 GB) is occupied by the system recovery.

Graphics

Intel's HD Graphics 4200 GPU handles the graphics. It supports DirectX 11 and runs with 200 up to 850 MHz. The 3DMark results do not show any surprises. However, the Satellite W30t with the same GPU, manages significantly higher results. The reason is simple: The memory of the Satellite works in a dual-channel configuration that benefits the GPU, so the results are better. The memory of the Split x2 only works in a single-channel configuration.

Gaming Performance

Games from the Windows Store are usually no problem for the Split x2, and you can even play some modern 3D games. However, you will obviously have to reduce the resolution and use low quality settings. Still, it is not powerful enough for smooth gameplay in titles like Thief. Similar to the 3DMarks, the Satellite manages 20 percent higher frame rates on average thanks to its dual-channel memory. It is therefore on the same level as the HD Graphics 4400 GPU inside the Transformer Book (single-channel memory as well). The 13.3-inch size and a good gaming performance are not mutually exclusive. We already reviewed notebooks with good gaming performance, for example the Asus Zenbook UX32LN (Core i7-4500U, GeForce 840M). However, the price is also much higher, above 1,000 Euros (~$1289).

Emissions

System Noise

Unlike the Transformer Book and the Satellite, the fan of the Split x2 runs even while idling. However, you can hardly hear it, it only gets louder under load. Even then it is not too bad. The fan does not have to run at the highest rpm level during the stress test since both the CPU and the GPU are throttled. The good results of the HP convertible are beaten by the Transformer Book.

Noise Level

Idle

30.8 / 31.4 / 32.6 dB(A)

HDD

31.1 dB(A)

Load

35.3 / 35.5 dB(A)

30 dBsilent

40 dB(A)audible

50 dB(A)loud

min: , med: , max: Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

Stress test HP Split x2 13-m210eg

Our three comparison devices are very similar with regard to the temperature development. All devices exceed 40 °C (~104 °F) at one or two points during our stress test, but that is no problem in practice. The case temperatures during idling are consistently in the green zone. The Split x2 shows the same behavior during the stress test (Prime95 and FurMark for at least one hour) on mains and battery power: The processor runs with 1 up to 1.1 GHz and the GPU with 750 up to 850 MHz, which is reduced to 700 MHz over the course of the test. The CPU temperature on mains power leveled off at around 64 °C (~147.2 °F).

Speakers

The stereo speakers are at the lower edge of the tablet and directed towards the user. HP advertises a "Beats Audio" system, which describes the software to improve the sound. The speakers create a rather metallic, but still decent sound that would benefit from more bass. A better sound experience is available with headphones or external speakers.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

Both the Split x2 and the Transformer Book are very frugal devices in all scenarios. The power consumption for these two convertibles is on the expected level with significantly less than 10 Watts while idling – a hallmark of Haswell systems. The consumption of the Split x2 during our stress test (Prime95 and FurMark) is lower than with medium workloads (3DMark 06) because both the CPU and the GPU are throttled. The Satellite on the other hand, has a higher consumption compared to its rivals – even though it has the slowest processor.

Power Consumption

Off / Standby

0.2 / 0.4 Watt

Idle

4.3 / 5.5 / 6.3 Watt

Load

21.1 / 19 Watt

Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Voltcraft VC 940

Battery Runtime

The Split x2 manages an idling runtime of 15:12 hours, which is longer than the Satellite (10:40 h) and the Transformer Book (14:23 h). The idle mode is simulated by the Battery Eater Reader's test with the minimum display brightness, activated energy-saving profile and deactivated wireless modules. Load results in a runtime of 3:27 hours for the Split x2, and the two comparison devices once again cannot keep up (Satellite 2:12 h; Transformer Book 2:26 h). The runtime under load is determined by the Battery Eater Classic test with the maximum display brightness, high-performance profile and activated wireless modules.

The Wi-Fi test runs for 7:13 hours before the HP convertible turns off. This result is right between the Satellite (6:30 h) and the Transformer Book (10:53 h). This test runs a script that refreshes websites every 40 seconds while the energy-saving profile is active and the display brightness is adjusted to around 150 cd/m². The runtime during video playback is tested with a loop of the short movie Big Buck Bunny (H.264, 1920x1080 pixels). The energy-saving profile is active, the wireless modules are deactivated and the display brightness is adjusted to around 150 cd/m². In this scenario, the Split x2 manages 7:38 hours, which is once again between the rivals Satellite (5:30 h) and Transformer Book (9:52 h).

Overall, the runtimes of the Split x2 are very good. However, it is surprising that the Transformer Book runs much longer in the realistic Wi-Fi and video playback tests – with a lower battery capacity (HP: 65 Wh (33 Wh + 32 Wh), Asus: 50 Wh, Toshiba: 46 Wh). The second hard drive of the Split x2 certainly affects the runtime of the HP device, but it does not explain the big difference. Asus really did a good job.

Verdict

All things considered, the HP Split x2 13-m210eg is a good device. HP offers a well-balanced package: A Core i5 processor provides sufficient performance, the IPS display is quite dark, but otherwise very convincing and the system partition on the SSD results in a fast system. There is another conventional hard drive in the keyboard dock, which provides a lot of storage for your files. We must not forget the decent input devices and the very good battery runtimes either. There is not much criticism from our side. Like the majority of detachable convertibles, the device suffers from a comparatively high weight. The tablet itself could have more ports (micro-USB) and HP could have integrated a Full HD panel. This would not be unreasonable when you consider the price. The last item on our wish list for the Split x2 is a 3G/LTE modem – at least as an option.

Because of its larger hinge, the Toshiba Satellite W30t-A-101 looks much bulkier than the Split x2. Its advantage is the lower price compared to the Split x2. Another even cheaper alternative is the similarly constructed Satellite W30Dt-A-100 (AMD A4-1200, Radeon HD 8180). Instead of an Intel processor, it uses a less powerful AMD APU. This device is currently available for around 580 Euros (~$747). The advantages of the Asus Transformer Book T300LA-C4006H are the better runtimes in the realistic WLAN and video playback scenarios. It is also the only convertible within our comparison with a Full HD display, but it is also more expensive than the Split x2.

I grew up with computers and modern consumer electronics. I am interested in the technology since I had my first computer, a Commodore C64, and started building my own PCs after that. My focus here at Notebookcheck is the business segment including mobile workstations, but I also like to test new mobile devices. It is always a great experience to review and compare new products. My free time is filled with a lot of sports, in the summer mainly on my bike.

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